US officers are drafting plans to deploy American military advisers to Iraq's western Anbar province and to help arm Sunni tribes to fight Islamic State militants.

However, it was reported that before any advisers head to the volatile province, there was still more work to be done to ensure Sunni tribes were ready to confront the IS group and to coordinate the potential role of military advisers from other countries in the anti-IS coalition.

About 600 US military advisers are currently based in Baghdad and in the northern city of Arbil.